1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a europium-containing Group IIA fluoride epitaxial layer on silicon where the europium concentration is in the range of from about 4 to about 40 wt %.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many electronic devices such as pagers, cellular telephones, and personal digital assistants include as one of their components a visual display user interface. Presently, a common visual display user interface utilizes liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. Liquid crystals are typically complex organic molecules that do not generate their own light; hence, they require a separate light source such as a high intensity back-light source. Furthermore, the liquid crystals must be contained within a glass display unit, separate from the electronic components of the device. A liquid crystal display cannot be fabricated directly on a silicon substrate and, therefore, a liquid crystal display and device electronic components cannot be integrated on the same chip.
Thus, there exists a need for a light-emitting layer that can be grown directly on a silicon substrate to allow integration of a light emitting display on the same chip as device electronics, and for a light-emitting device including such a layer. Also required is a method for making the light-emitting layer.